inFrequently Asked Questions about Flight Training

Things You Might Wonder About Learning to Fly

6. How long will it take me to get a private pilot's license?

The main factors here are the number of hours you need, which you can only estimate in advance, and how often you fly. If you can average two flights a week, it should take about six months to finish.

(To use myself as an example, I flew 66 hours in 47 flights in a 23-week period, a bit under six months, with an average of almost exactly twice a week. Most lessons are 1-1.5 hours of flight time, except the cross countries.)

Generally, the more often you fly, the fewer total hours you'll need, since you will spend less time reviewing previous lessons. This is especially true in the first ten or twenty hours.

(My original plan was to fly every weekend day, and I found that I spent part of Saturday's time relearning what we did the previous Sunday. The best twice-a-week schedule would be to space the flights every three to four days.)

One lesson a week is probably the minimum most people will need to make progress.

The national average is about 65 hours at the time of earning a private pilot certificate.

It may help to plan a schedule of lessons, but you'll put less stress on yourself if you don't set a specific date or number of hours to finish your training. (My only goals were to enjoy it and make progress; the solo, checkride, and other milestones came on their own.)

No matter the intention, there will be times when you have to cancel a lesson. Some of the common reasons are illness, weather, and unavailability of airplane or instructor. It's a good idea to schedule the airplane and flight instructor as far in advance as possible (i.e., before they're fully booked).